


Southern Belle

by Hawkstar1999



Category: Forrest - Fandom, KreekCraft, kreek
Genre: F/M, I don't really ship any of the current ships, because i can get how a ship can ruin a friendship, idk just dont want to force anything, not really comfortable making you date someone because idk how you act, so you get to date an OC I guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 14:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11625366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkstar1999/pseuds/Hawkstar1999
Summary: Dude I can't write for shit but this is just something I did so I could claim the first KreekCraft piece on AO3.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dude I can't write for shit but this is just something I did so I could claim the first KreekCraft piece on AO3.  
> 

When Forrest walked into his office on Monday, caramel latte in one hand and briefcase in the other, he hadn’t expected to see his boss right there, holding a manila folder like it had the key to ending global warning. “Forrest. Thank god you’re here on time for once! We just a call in from head.” The man sighed, obviously taking a pause for the benefit of his employee. “We have an assignment out to California. Apparently some big cattle rancher in the north has huge gold reserves on part of his land and he’s refusing to sell.”

“You aren’t sending me out somewhere rural!” Forrest spluttered, roughly clutching his Starbucks as if it had been the thing to suggest such a thing. “Can’t you seen out Peter or Bee instead?”

“Head specifically requested for you. Something about being the most likely to influence the man. He’s pigheaded they say, refusing to sign despite all coercion.” Forrest sighed, rubbing his hand over his forehead.

“But what about the Mel case? That case is my baby. I can’t just up and fly to rural California from New York and leave behind Mel versus Gibson. I’ve been there for that case since the beginning Nick.” 

“And Peter and Bee will do a lovely job finishing it Forrest. We really need you in California. You have no idea what that gold would do for the company.”  
“And you have no idea what I could do working on Mel!” 

“And we’ll never know because if aren’t off to Cali by the end of the week, you’re getting a pink slip and two weeks. Not my words Forrest.”

He shook with anger, near on crumpling the cardboard cup in his hand- which was thankfully empty of coffee that would have stained his button down and burnt his hand. “And when is the earliest I could leave?”

“End of today. You can’t go missing the Monday turn-in just because you’re off to California Tuesday morning.” 

“Then what’s the point of jet setting to California?”

“Gold Forrest, lots and lots of it. See if the man who owns it won’t hammer out a necklace for you. Could be worth ten thousand dollars when your back in civilization.” 

Work was painfully slow when the promise of a first-class flight to California was at the other end, painfully rooted in his mind like a flashing billboard, drawing his attention every other second despite any distractions. He couldn’t even breathe without thinking he could feel the syllables of ‘California’ in the draw of his breaths. California sounded like a whispered call in his head, inspiring both excitement and dread. California. California. California. Even as he sat there trying to write a letter, he couldn’t help but type in the beginning of the word as he thought. ‘Hello. It’s Forrest. Thank you for contacting us at…. California,’ his emails read, useless for the company. By the time it reached 3:30 in the afternoon, he could no longer focus on work at all, instead playing a game of solitaire (the cards with palm trees on the back because California) while he waited for that last hour and a half to melt away so he could return home to pack. The rural areas weren’t what drew him no- Las Angles, San Francisco…. Those giant cities and tourist centers that promised love and live, hustle and bustle as if he never left New York. Of course, the man with a giant gold covered farm would clearly not be anywhere near those cities, but nothing would stop him from driving into the city every evening, to live his life like he was supposed to instead of being stifled by the job of an underpaid paralegal in a giant New York corporation. 

No, he had never been good at staying in the same place for any extended period of time. Wanderlust, his parents had said, when he left Florida for New York, running on the hopes of a scholarship and an internship at the largest law company in all the world. The fight for the 3 positions had been shared by tens of thousands of people, others far more qualified for the position than he was, but he had been chosen- him, Peter, and Bee. They were close now, though no one knew Bee’s real name, not even the men who had hired her. It was the one condition of her acceptance, complete anonymity with her coworkers. 

There were others in the company, but he never saw them, not in the same light he saw Peter and Bee. They were his friends, his equals, and his confidents when everything was falling apart. True, Nick and he had been friends long before he had received the position, but the manager subordinate dynamic did little to promote a healthy friendship outside of the office. You don’t stay up until 3AM eating pop tarts complaining about how much you hate your job with the man who had the capability to fire you from that job. It changed the power dynamic of even the strongest friendship, and had practically ruined theirs. At least until Forrest moved on to something new and no longer had to report to Nick. 

“It’s quitting time!” Someone cheered from across the office space, the loud murmur of constant talk quickly filling the silence that had permeated the room since 9 when they had arrived. Such calls were typically frowned upon by the managers, but the young people who owned this floor of the building could never be bothered to listen to their superiors. They were invincible in their mind, 25 and ready to conquer the world, one rung of the career ladder at a time. Forrest was one of them, hungry to conquer the world. Only so many made it to the top though, ambition and aggression necessary in spades.

“Forrest. It’s time to go.” Nick popped into view around the walls of his cubicle, leaning into the little space Forrest had been able to procure for himself through aggressive shifting of the cubicle’s walls. “I know you have work to finish up before Cali, but you’ve been staring at your screen doing nothing for 10 minutes now and I want to go home. There’s this fun little party I wanted to go to tonight, if you want to come with?”

“I’ve got packing to do,” Forrest mumbled, offering a weak grin to Nick. “Would go with if I didn’t though.” He wouldn’t, not really. The atmosphere between them was too awkward to just hang out at house parties together like they did when they were in college. Still, white lies never hurt anyone, and it stood to help their relationship in the future even if he couldn’t really fix it right now. In the future, when he got sick of what he did now, when he decided to go become a teacher in Africa or whatever struck his fancy, he could reconnect with Nick. For now, he would do his best to hold onto what he could preserve between the two of them, an amicable acquaintanceship at best. “Night Nick. See you when the deals done.”


	2. Chapter 2

He had never really liked airplanes. They were too crowded, too noisy, too busy. But with the firm’s recent success, first class tickets had become standard for all flights, and the airplane had become almost tolerable. He still hated being in the air, unable to guarantee his safety for hours while he was in the air- a state of limbo between life and death. One thing wrong and he would die. It wasn’t pleasant to think about his own mortality.

But the chair was comfortable and the food was good, and soon he fell asleep, wrapped up in the blanket they gave him, relaxed by the quiet hum of the airplanes engines. When they landed in California, the jet seemed to shake with exhaustion after such a long flight. It felt odd to think of machinery as almost human, but the way the jet quaked as it landed like a person who’s muscles had gone stiff from holding the same position for too long- it was decidedly human. Sliding out of the airplanes long before those left behind in economy would, he walked stiffly off the plane, constantly checking his phone to see if his car was ready. It was a rental hybrid, small and pastel blue. 

He’d have to take a taxi to the rental location, but the office was giving him 200 dollars a day to spend on such incidental fees such as taxis, gas, or food. It was enough money for as many frappuccinos as he could ever desire. A call from Nick disrupted his search for the email containing the information on the taxi company, a dark photo of the man covering the screen of his smart phone. Forrest startled, nearly dropping the phone, but he forced himself to calm his racing heart, raising the phone to his ear so he could talk with Nick.

“What’s with the call Nick? I’m just off to get a taxi right now.” He hummed, twisting a lock of his too long brown hair around his index finger. “Just got the email about the 200 bucks to spend and was calculating how much Starbucks I could buy with that before I’m out in hillbilly heaven.” 

“Always negative about rural areas for someone who was a professional lumberjack for 6 months. Swear that was the only reason they hired you over one of the other candidates for the position! Sticks out like crazy on your resume- Harvard, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Harvard…. Lumberjack.” Nick laughed, the sound deep and rolling as if it came directly from his belly. He laughed as though he were 50 years old, jovial as Santa Claus. “Bloody lumberjack.”

“You wish you could’ve had the same experiences as me in life Nick!”

“Might have me there Forrest! Too bad I’ll never tell you the truth.” 

“Never tell anyone the truth Nick. Not if you want to be a professional lawyer. And last I heard you were working managing some interns at this law place. Don’t know much about it other than trips to California are enforced under pain of termination of the employee’s contract.”

“Yeah but you get a first class plane ticket so its always a fun trip. Get to hang out on a plane and drink yourself silly on all the free top shelf stuff they’re giving out to the people too rich to know how to spend their money.”

“I’m 20 Nick. Not 21.”

“Last time I was on a first class flight, they weren’t checking IDs. Not that I’m suggesting underage drinking to my straight-edge workforce who have never broken a law in their life.” 

“Why did you call me Nick?”

“Make sure you were still alive by the end of the flight. You have that thing with planes, and as your friend its my job to check in. I’m not just an old man manager with greying hairs and a whiskery beard. I’m also your 23 year old best friend from USC who misses having you around on the weekends for pizza and a movie.” Forrest laughed, a tight polite laugh that screamed just how little he believed Nick’s words. 

“I’m off to get my taxi mate. Don’t wait up.”


End file.
